Previous posts
- Journey's end
- Several points to prove against Ireland
- A Roman battle and a huge game to come!
- An Azzurri adventure
- Mixed Magners results and a World Cup Sevens Victory!
- Lost in France
- 24 hours in Paris but returned empty-handed
- À Paris, mes amis!
- A tale of two cities (Cardiff and Paris!)
- Moving on up - Cardiff and the Magners Cup
- No small feat, but an aching head!
- A hat-trick against England?
- Roadblock for our fan
- Rhys Evans - Fan on the move
Six Nations Blog
Rhys Evans – Fan on the move
How's it going? A very Happy Six Nations Championship start to you all!!!
Well, it's been a few really dramatic days! And I'm sure a lot of you are in the same boat as me!! No work on Tuesday because of the snow (good times), but also the big trip up to Scotland to see Wales play called off (bad times). A tip for you – don't leave organising a trip to Edinburgh until the last minute! To start off with, me and the boys were going to drive up, but after hearing about the snow, that one went down the pan!! Then we decided to train it, until we realised it takes a day to arrive and a day to get back!! The only choice left was flying but the prices are beyond ridiculous - £220 one way on the Friday night!! WOOOOOOT!! As I told the woman on the phone, 'I’d expect to be flying up with the Welsh team for that amount of money, bach, with Cheryl Cole as my personal air stewardess’. Looks like I'll be watching the first game in the local...
And so to the game: yes, it's Scotland first to challenge Wales on Sunday at 3 o'clock – for me, it's the game that'll seal Wales' fate this year. Do you remember us winning the Grand Slam in 2005 and 2008? (I don't remember a lot either, don't worry.) Beating England in the first game was the key both times, an essential boost to the boys' confidence that led to them winning the Grand Slam twice. A good victory in Scotland will be crucial if we're to see Warren Gatland – or the 'Gatfather's – team winning the Championship for the third time in 5 years. And who knows, it could lead to another nice little Grand Salm to give us all an excuse to go bonkers again.
I like the way Warren Gatland has put a bit more emphasis on the forwards and on winning good ball in the scrum and the lineout since he's taken over as coach. Players like Andy Powell, Alun Wyn Jones and Gethin Jenkins are playing brilliantly at the moment and Wales' forwards are a powerful force that can challenge almost any opponents in the world. If good, consistent ball comes to players like Shanie boy, Lee Halfpenny and Lee Byrne, there's always a chance we'll make problems for the other team. Even though it's a shame that Gareth Cooper picked up an injury in training, who better to call in as a late substitute than Dwayne Peel? There's a player who can come on as a sub and really make a difference to the direction of the game on Sunday if needs be. Although the Scottish regional teams have been playing well recently, I have to say I'm optimistic, bois bach. My prediction is... Wales 24 – Scotland 18.
That's all from me for now – I'll catch up with you after the game on Sunday!! I'm off to see if the prices of the flights have come down – or if the Council's got a spare gritter I can borrow to drive up! Have a good trip if you're heading off on the long road to Scotland.
C'mon Cymru!!!!!
Rhys
This blog has been translated from Welsh.